Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2186: Crossroads of Fate

"Welcome to the Sage Dragon's Respite, my chelonian friend."

Emerging from the kitchen alongside Sarina and Goku, Vahn decided upon a random name as he greeted the weary-looking sea turtle. In response, it returned a friendly smile as it asked, "Pardon me, kind sir, but do you perhaps have any saltwater? I don't have any money-"

Holding up his hand, Vahn maintained a relaxed smile as he explained, "The Sage Dragon's Respite exists at the crossroads of fate. For those fated to discover it, everything within is free of charge."

Shifting his gaze towards Sarina, Vahn nodded towards the bucket in her hands. In response, she adopted a smile of her own as she went forward, half-tilting the metal pale as she said, "Feel free to drink your fill, little guy."

Though he was suddenly seized by the notion that the Sage Dragon's Respite was a mysterious and potentially dangerous place, Turtle was far too exhausted to refuse their kindness. It had been days since he last had something to drink, so, without any hesitation whatsoever, he used his left flipper to support the bucket before drinking half its contents in a single go.

Exhaling a contented and relieved sigh, Turtle set the bucket upright before returning his gaze to Vahn and remarking, "That is easily the second-best saltwater I've ever sampled. Thank you very much."

Raising his brows, Vahn asked, "Oh? You've actually had something better...?"

Nodding his head in affirmation, Turtle explained, "There was a magical wellspring located near the beach I hatched on. While my other brothers and sisters swam out into the sea, I ended up getting swept away by a current and carried to the interior of a small island. The waters there are one of the reasons I'm able to talk like this, so, while the quality of your saltwater might be higher, nothing can compare to the taste of home."

Unable to argue with the turtle's logic, Vahn nodded his head in approval before sitting down on the floor and asking, "So, what brings a sea turtle so far inland? You're a long way from any small islands, friend."

With the smile promptly fading from his face, a melancholic expression quickly took its place as Turtle explained, "To make a very long story short, I'm lost. I've been trying to find my way back to the sea for more than a year now but the only river I found ended up feeding into a lake instead of the ocean. I was hoping you and your friends might be willing to help."

Though he was obviously going to help Turtle find his way to the sea, Vahn looked to Sarina and Goku before answering. He was bound to dictate a lot of events moving forward, but, when it came down to it, this was ultimately their journey. If he started taking proactive action, most of the major threats in the Universe would be dealt with over the course of weeks and months rather than years.

Surprised the Vahn had looked towards her, a befuddled, "Hmm...?" emanated from Sarina's throat as she wondered what he wanted. It was only when the smile on Vahn's face turned wry that she understood his intentions, a faint blush spreading through her cheeks as she averted her eyes and said, "Of course we'll help..."

Nodding his head in agreement, Goku thumped his chest and stated, "That's right! Grandpa always told me that the strong should help those in need! I don't know what this sea thing is, but I'm sure Uncle Vahn can help you find it...!"

Though he had little to no understanding regarding the events that had transpired the last twenty-four hours, the one thing Goku was absolutely certain of was that Vahn was a good person. He also seemed to know a lot of things. The location of the sea had to be one of them.

Taking advantage of the fact he was already sitting down, Vahn gestured Goku to come over so that he could ruffle the young Saiyan's hair. At the same time, a lighthearted smile developed across his face as he said, "Your Grandpa was a wise man..." before shifting his attention to Turtle and adding, "Once we've finished with lunch, we'll escort you directly to the sea."

Like a death row inmate who had just had their sentence annulled, an expression of incomparable relief appeared on Turtle's face as the tensions drained from his body. Then, as if he was suddenly a few hundred years young, he raised his head to respond with an invigorated, "Thank you! I can't tell you how much this means to me. I honestly thought I was going to die once I found myself lost in a mountain range..."

As turtles were a delicacy all over the world, Turtle was right to be fearful of being trapped inland. If a group of bandits or something like a dinosaur had discovered him, a swift and painless death was the best he could hope for. People could be exceptionally cruel to animals they denoted as prey, so, the moment they discovered he was a magical turtle who could speak, there was a high probability that they would demand something along the lines of wishes before boiling him alive or harvesting his organs to make medicine...

Having devoured quite a number of turtles in his life, Vahn could understand Turtle's concerns even without the elderly chelonian voicing them. As a result, he ended up extending his hand to pat the leathery creature on the top of his head. This confused Turtle quite a bit at first, but, feeling the calming energy flowing through his body, it wasn't long before his expression relaxed into a smile.

"Huh? Where'd you find a sea turtle this far inland? Those things are pretty rare even in the ocean."

Emerging after more than twenty minutes in the bathroom, Bulma was surprised to see Vahn sitting in front of one of the most endangered species on the planet. Sea turtles and pretty much all other forms of shelled chelonians had always been revered for their longevity. People believed they could be used to make all kinds of elixirs and medicines, so, with the exception of a few captive breeding populations, the majority of wild turtle species had been pushed to the brink of extinction.

Retracting his hand from Turtle's head, Vahn rose to his feet before explaining the situation. He also brought out a few of the dishes he had prepared, as, despite being an extrovert ever since Chloe had helped to break him out of his shell, Vahn had never been fond of standing around and talking. Conversations were best had during or after a meal, so, after inviting Turtle to join them, he created a spread from his Inventory before enjoying a nice, long, and relaxing brunch...

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Since he needed the training, Vahn had Goku carry Turtle on his back during their short journey to the sea. The additional weight reduced his speed by quite a bit but they were still able to reach the beach in just under two hours.

"Here you go, Mr. Turtle. Try not to get eaten by any big fish, okay...?"

As the sea was larger than any body of water he had ever seen, Goku couldn't help thinking that the fish within were even larger than the massive fish he frequently had for dinner. He was right, of course, but Turtle was a lot less vulnerable in water than on land. His magical abilities allowed him to glid through the water at supersonic speeds beneath the ocean, so, unless he dropped his guard, he could easily outmaneuver most other underwater creatures.

"Thank you, Goku. Thank you, Vahn. You may very well have saved this poor turtles life. For that, you have my endless gratitude."

"Hey, what about us? We helped out as well."

Shifting his attention to Bulma, Turtle understood exactly who Goku had been referring to when he said one of Vahn's companions was annoying. Bulma hadn't actually contributed anything, yet, as if she had been the one to carry him all this way, she expected gratitude by association.

Having lived for nearly a thousand years, Turtle was well aware with the temperamental nature of many women, so, after a moment of silence, he said, "You didn't let me finish. I was going to thank you for the fun conversation during lunch and Ms. Sarina for the saltwater. I'm just a little slow due to being a turtle and all..."

Feeling a little guilty, a wry smile developed across Bulma's face as she said, "Sorry about that. I've never been known for my patience. I should probably work on it..."

Punctuating her remark with a self-deprecating laugh, Bulma briefly shifted her gaze to Vahn. In response, he simply returned one of his characteristically carefree smiles. This caused her to feel even more embarrassed. Fortunately, just as she felt as though everyone was silently judging her, Turtle spoke out, saying, "Oh, it's not a problem. You're still young, after all. It's okay to be a little brash and impatient so long as you learn from it. Now, if the four of you are willing to wait, there is someone I want you to meet. He's an old friend of mine and should be more than willing to reward you for your troubles."

On that note, Turtle raised his flipper as a gesture of farewell before swimming out into the sea. His departure was relatively slow at first, but, the moment he reached deep waters, a hazy green aura covered his body as he zipped through the water like a submarine on steroids. Only Vahn was able to perceive this but it was still pretty interesting.

Not believing for a moment that Turtle would actually return, Bulma mutter a silent, "Well, there he goes..." before looking towards Vahn and asking, "What now...?"

Just as he had when Turtle asked, Vahn shifted his attention to Sarina to see what she had to say. In response, a wide smile developed across her face as she suggested, "I think we should stick around. This is actually my first time visiting the beach so I wouldn't mind going for a swim and trying out a tanned look."

Reinforcing her statement, Sarina used her [REquip] System to change into a rather peculiar-looking bikini with a black base and white frills. A ruddy hue immediately colored her cheeks, but, instead of behaving bashfully, she punctuated her words by grabbing Vahn's arm and adding, "Help me apply sunscreen." with an embarrassed yet visibly excited look on her face.

Returning a smile of his own, Vahn made a casual gesture with his left hand that caused several beach chairs, a large parasol, several coolers, and an oversized grill to appear out of thin air.

With the exception of his bedroom and workshop, the beach was inarguably Vahn's favorite place to visit. The beauty of his women in swimsuits had a lot to do with this, but, more than that, he just liked being around the water, cutting loose, and relaxing. Thus, ever since his relatively brief stay in the Akamatsuverse, Vahn had always carried the supplies for a beach getaway in his Inventory...

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After traveling hundreds of kilometers in only a few minutes, Turtle reached the edge of a small island located in an abnormally calm section of the sea. There, taking up nearly half the island, a pink, two-story house with the words 'Kame House' printed in bright blue letters could be seen.

Sensing Turtle's arrival, an old man wearing a Hawaiian-esque, orange t-shirt and a pair of baggy white shorts rose from his position on a tattered-looking lawn chair. He was relatively short at only 165cm tall, and, due to his poor posture, he appeared even shorter. His bald head glistened like the bright orange orb dangling from his neck while his eyes, veiled by oversized sunglasses, sharpened for a brief moment before relaxing as he recognized the intruder's identity.

Stroking his bushy white beard and mustache, the elderly man smiled as he said, "Why, if it isn't Turtle. Where have you been these past couple of months? I was starting to get worried."

Returning a smile of his own, Turtle dragged his body towards the old man as he answered, "It's good to see you, Master Roshi. Though I'm ashamed to admit it, I got lost after leaving one of my friend's birthday parties. Fortunately, a mysterious man and an exceptionally kind young boy gave me a hand and guided me back to the sea. If you're not too busy, I'd like you to meet them. They didn't ask for one but I believe they deserve a reward."

"Hmm...very well, then. Take me to this mysterious man and his young friend."

As he was actually bored out of his mind, Master Roshi didn't mind stepping away from his tiny and extremely remote island to reward a group of promising youngsters. Kindness was a rare trait these days, so, as one of the strongest, oldest, and wisest men on the planet, he had a moral obligation to reward those who demonstrated it without ulterior motives. Who knows? He may even find himself a new student...

With that in mind, Master Roshi picked up his club-like staff before donning a remarkably heavy, turtle-like shell and making his way over to stand on Turtle's back. This caused the aged chelonian to grunt, but, having served as one of Master Roshi's mounts for the better part of a hundred and fifty years, he was pretty accustomed to the old man's weight...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Humans can be remarkably self-serving...','If I had a harem of 100+ God-tier beauties, I would probably enjoy the beach as well...','Master Roshi is going to react like Sanji after his training arc once he sees Bulma and Sarina in their bikinis xD...')